As a proud sorority woman myself, it comes as no surprise to most when I tell people that Legally Blonde is one of my favorite movies. It’s full of perfectly witty and quotable lines such as, “whoever said orange is the new pink was seriously disturbed.” Such accurate words.
Today, July 13, 2016 is the iconic film’s fifteenth birthday. I know, I know, we all now feel ridiculously old and might spiral into a premature midlife crisis. One person who hasn’t aged a bit since the movie’s release, however, is the leading lady herself.
Reese Witherspoon, the lovely actress that brought Elle Woods to life, stopped by the Instagram offices today to shoot a few quick videos in honor of the film’s milestone birthday. Some of the material they produced was simply golden.
It wouldn’t be a properly celebrated anniversary if the infamous flirting technique, the “bend and snap” wasn’t included. Witherspoon happily demonstrated the move that she made famous for all of our viewing pleasure on her Instagram.
The bend and snap has turned out to be both a blessing and a curse for Witherspoon, who told IG, “That is still the most asked request I get from people. I have a feeling I’ll be doing the bend and snap until I am 95.” Probably so.
The main reason why this movie is so beloved is because it has incredible quotes sprinkled throughout that make it undeniably hysterical. Reese Witherspoon’s character is so incredibly relatable to many of us, especially those in the Greek community. Although some lines confirm the whole “sorority girls are shallow airheads” stereotype, others give a glimpse of Elle Woods’ smarter and wiser side. Here are some of my personal favorites:
1. “I feel comfortable using legal jargon in everyday life” – man on the street whistles at Elle – “I object!”
Using court room lingo to turn down creepy cat callers on the street is a fantastic power move that women across the world should adopt immediately. I approve.
2. “Cosmo – the Bible.”
Honestly, no truer words have ever been spoken. Cosmo answers every girl’s most important questions, such as “How do I get my eyebrows to be perfectly symmetrical?” Spoiler alert: you don’t,
3. “You got into Harvard Law?” “What, like it’s hard?”
Elle surprised everyone when she managed to get into Harvard law school, but that just goes to show everyone that sorority women are some seriously motivated creatures. We can just ignore the fact that Elle’s motive for going to said law school was to win her old boyfriend back. Not desperate.
4. “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people don’t shoot their husbands.”
Yay, science! Elle’s knowledge surprises everyone again while simultaneously giving us all another reason to go to the gym. When you’re pissed off, go get you some endorphins.
5. “Bend…. And snap!”
Ah, the time-honored bend and snap. According to Elle, it has a 98 percent success rate of attracting male attention. I say we all bring back the bend and snap into our gross college bars this fall to shake things up a bit. Just be careful not to break the guy’s nose.
6. “You must always have faith in people, and, most importantly, you must always have faith in yourself.”
These golden words are fantastic ones to live by if you ask me. Sometimes you have to dig down deep and remember that you are a boss ass bitch who is capable of anything. Except for having perfectly symmetrical eyebrows, of course.
The best part about this clever movie is that it shatters the stereotype that sorority girls can’t be smart. I can assure you that Elle Woods wasn’t the first sorority woman to get into law school, and she won’t be the last either. I myself have sisters who humbly earn 4.0’s, have been accepted into nursing school, and are even training to serve our country in the armed forces. Stereotypes are just that – stereotypes.
Now go bend and snap your cares away, fellow Legally Blonde fans.